


Voltron

by AmyR



Series: The Great Lions of Voltron [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Don't Examine This Too Closely, Gen, Healing, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I still dont know when this is set, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Mature Lance (Voltron), No Romance, Personal Growth, im just really bored
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-05 18:19:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 9,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17923922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyR/pseuds/AmyR
Summary: This is the second installment of 'The Great Lions of Voltron'. It isn't necessary but I highly recommend that you read the first part.•-•With the occupants of the castle waking up, slowly and one at a time, they all have to adjust to how times have changed, and how they have changed over the years. More specifically, they have to learn about the man that Lance had become in their absence.





	1. Guests

It was 3 months later, when Lance least expected it. If he was being completely honest with himself, he wouldn't have thought that they would've returned.

The sound of a ship landing outside drew Lance out of bed. Bayard gripped in his hand, patched together helmet over his head, armour on.

He moved swiftly and silently through the corridors, body tensed, looking for any sign of movement inside the Castle.

'Lance!' 

He heard his name being called from a distance, outside the Castle.

He froze for a moment before a grin broke out onto his face. Putting away his bayard he jogged outside, the faces of Ulna and Adil a welcome sight.

They greeted Lance with fondness that he reciprocated, and were not hesitant on voicing how impressed they were with Lance's repair of the castle. But after a brief moment of smile and laughs, it was seriousness once again from both parties.   
The aliens admitted that the task of finding a Crystal the size needed to power the ship was impossible, but that had smuggled the largest that they could find.   
Lance inspected the crystal that they had brought, noticing that the one the Castle had used had been a fair bit larger. His excitement and hope that they could restore the castle dampened by the fact.   
He voiced his concerns to the alien duo, who confidently insisted that this one should do well enough for the time being, until the princess could acquire a new one. Lance allowed another smile to slip onto his face.

It had been too long since he had last had reason to smile.

In a joint effort, the three of them hefted the glowing rock onto their shoulders, and slowly made their way to the remanants of the castle's power crystal.

Working carefully, they cleared the area of shards of rock, metal and crystal. Lance had been hesitant to do it initially incase he shifted the crystal and all power to the castle ceased. But now, they had a replacement for it.

The crystal was slotted into place, suspended in midair by Altean magic, Lance had always assumed.  
It looked a little small for the space, and Lance held his breath as the Castle remained silent around him, the fear that it would not work ever present.

•-•


	2. Power

There was a sudden beep that echoed throughout the castle. Then the sound of leavers and gears kicking into motion after a long time dormant. The whole castle shifted slightly, as it stabilized itself on the terrain below it. 

Lance rotated in a slow circle as the lights flickered on once again over his head, a gleeful laugh escaping his lips. The brightness was blinding after years in the dark, but he didn't care. Beeps sounded, whirring, clicking and grating. The engine powered on, and the creaking of metal as the castle settled unto its repaired body. 

The feeling of unbridled joy that Lance felt at the moment, realizing that he had finally done it, was unmatched. He gave a loud whoop and took off down the halls, leaving the visitors stranded, his younger self peeking through.

He rounded corners with practiced familiarity, ducking into the kitchen. The red light that had blinked on the food goo dispenser for the past year was now gone, replaced by a yellow one. The light revealed all the dust that hung in the air, now swiftly being removed as the air filtration systems whirred to life.

Letting out another joyous laugh, Lance abandoned his helmet on the counter, the thud dulled by the other noises of the castle. Not staying to dwell on it, he took off again, not stopping until he reached the medbay. 

His body, accustomed to his daily routine, slowed to basically a crawl.

He stepped through the doors, that now moved on their own, into the glaringly bright medbay. The cryopods no longer seemed to glow ominously, and his friends looked more alive in them as well.

Taking a hesitant step forward, Lance moves toward Pidge's pod, his eyes struggling to focus on the display from the tears that had suddenly welled up in his eyes and the brightness of the display.

Tracing his fingers lightly over the screen, Lance read the figures.

'English,' he breathed, as the symbols finally began to make sense.

•-•


	3. Occupant

▪Occupant: Katherine Holt;   
Green Paladin; Pidge Gunderson  
▪Species: Homosapien (Human)  
▪Planet of Origin: Earth; Milky Way  
▪Age: (estimated)  
Physical: 15 years  
Actual: 18 years (Earth); 18 deca-pheobs, 4 pheobs, 2 spicolian movements, 1 quintant, 5 varga, 7 doboshes, 13 ticks  
▪Injures Sustained:   
Dislocated: Scapula; Talus  
Fractured: Phalanges(Right); Ribcage; Femur; Cranium   
Concussion  
Multiple lacerations about the body  
Severe blood loss  
▪Injuries Healed:   
Dislocated: Scapula  
Fractured: Phalanges; Femur; Lower Ribs  
Concussion   
Lacerations

■View scan of body■

▪Time Elapsed: 2 deca-pheobs, 10 pheobs, 20 quintants, 3 vargas, 6 doboshes, 53 ticks   
(2 years, 10 months, 20 days, 3 hours, 7 minutes, 53 seconds)  
▪Time Remaining: 2 quintants, 3 vargas, 5 doboshes, 7 ticks   
(2 days, 3 hours, 5 minutes, 7 seconds)

Lance let out a laugh of joy at seeing those figures. Quickly scanning through the other pods, everyone else, save Allura, would be out within the next 3 days. Allura would be out in a weeks time.  
He suspected that it had something to do with her being magic and all that.

Chuckling softly to himself once again, Lance exited the room, a sense of hope with him.

He slowly made his way back to the crystal, suddenly remembering that he had left his friends in there.   
With swift apologies, and regretfully declined offers to stay, the aliens were once again aboard their ship, saying that they had another promise to keep. Now that Voltron was safely and surely on the mend, they promised to spread the word. They waved goodbye and were gone, Lance hoped, not for the last time.

Lance turned back to the castle, his mind suddenly running over the Lions. Curiosity overcoming him, he strode swiftly down the corridors, quickly coming face to face with the doors of the blue lions hangar.

Taking a deep breath, he entered throughout the doors that opened for him. He walked slowly forward, eyes focused on the floor until he stood where he estimated the blue lion to be standing.

With slightly shaking fingers, he reached out, moving forward until his fingertips came in contact with a cold, hard surface. 

If his memory served him, that was what a particle barrier felt like.

Tugging his lip between his teeth he exhaled shakily, forcing his nerves to calm. 

'Blue,' he called out, voice shakier than he would have wanted.

Then, as if a switch had been flicked, he felt her. Her presence washed over him like a wave, bringing back all the happy memories and laughter that he had seemed to forget in the last few years.

Her warmth and comfort settled over his body, causing him to calm.

Blue was awake.

Lance's eyes popped open, mouth agape.

He looked into the bright yellow eyes of his lion, that had been dark for so long, unbridled joy washing over him.

Blue Was AWAKE!

Lance let out a laugh as the thought repeated in his mind.

BLUE WAS AWAKE!

The boy and the blue lion let out a loud whoop and roar respectively, in perfect unison. 

The blue lion arched her back, letting her call echo throughout the castle, shaking the floor beneath his feet.

The blue lion was awake, and by the sound of things, so were the others.

•-•


	4. Growth

Lance wandered the now rather noisy castle, refamiliarizing himself with how it looked and worked. He had dimmed the lights considerably, his one working eye, having grown accustomed to the darkness, now struggled in the bright light.

The happiness Lance had experienced earlier still lingered on him and he found himself back in his room, his old and long expired products still on the nightstand. Having never bothered with them or his appearance in recent times, he knew he really didn't care now either. With a quick swipe of his hand, and without a second thought, they were all knocked into the bin. 

Letting a slight smile slip onto his face, he decided to take off his armour and have a good warm shower. The thought seemed like a pleasant, nostalgic one.

That however, didn't work as well as he had planned, as after years of just cold to freezing water, the hot felt scalding and constricting. Lance sighed in remorse, not particularly bothered, simply accepted that as part of his old self that he had grown out of in the last few years.

Upon moving to his room and donning his clothes, he realized that it wasn't only habits and preferences that he had grown out of. His clothes had all gotten small for him as well.

Moving in front of his mirror, he tugged his shirt off and inspected his body. For the first time since the accident, in more or less proper light, he saw what he looked like.

The scarring along his back and shoulder was much worse than he had realized. There was the fainter set from when the false Rover had exploded and others from various battles, but these were much newer and still looked like they were raw. Lance touched his skin gingerly, glad to know that there was no pain, despite the look of his back. His shoulder had a long stripe of slightly raised, lighter skin that wrapped from around his back, over to his collarbone, back under his arm winding around over and over until it reached his elbow. 

Lance looked at the band of flesh, wracking his brain to remember what had caused it and drawing a blank. It looked like a tattoo in a demented sort of way. One of his body's many ways of never letting him forget the last 2 years. 

His face had a line over his eye and cheekbone, paler than all the rest, like a vertical version of Shiro's scar. His right iris was clouded over, now a faint reminant of the vibrant colour that had once been there. 

The lack of his facial routine showed clearly, as Lance looked more rugged and tough. He had accquired a scar in his eyebrow, that would never grow back, that he hadn't noticed before, and a faint stubble that Lance seemed unable to get rid of. Along with a great many smaller scars that littered his jaw and cheeks, acquired from shaving with one eye and poor lighting. He looked more serious, maybe angry, even though he wasn't. He looked older, and he felt it too.  
His shoulders had broadened a considerable amount, his chest, biceps and triceps now larger and more defined. He turned to look at his back as he tensed in the mirror, the muscles shifting and bulging. The muscles in his legs were a lot more accentuated as well, any trace of baby fat now gone completely. 

At one point Lance would have been glad, but now, it made him realize exactly how long he had been on his own, and how much he had gone through. So much that his entire physical look had changed completely.  
Now he looked like an adult. He looked like he was closer Shiro's age than his own, his childhood gone.

Lancs paused.  
He had gone into this at around 17, celebrating his 18th somewhere along the way.  
It had been almost 3 years since.  
He would be around 21 years old.  
His childhood really was gone.

He knew enough about the cryopods that it held the body in an unevolving stasis. So while he looked older than his 21 years, everyone that was in cryo hadn't changed. 

The only ones who would really have any show of the time he had spent on his own would just be him.  
Him and the castle.

•-•


	5. Voltron

Lance lay on his back, staring at his ceiling. The lighted constellations that he had programmed before anything had happened now shone on the walls. Before, this would have helped calm him, along with his music, but after more than 2 long years of complete silence and darkness, it all just served as noise and unnecessary light. Lance slept for only a few hours as it was, but now the sounds of the castle itself were much too loud for him to sleep for long anyways.

Groaning, he sat up, reaching for the control panel on the wall, beside his bed. Quickly shutting off the lights he swung his feet over the side of his bed. He had gotten used to walking barefoot, the cold metal not fazing him in the least.

 

He wandered down the corridors, mind drifting over his friends, remembering what he could about them. He found himself in the kitchen, not believing that by tomorrow, things would start to return to normal. Cocking his head at the thought, he moved toward the food goo dispenser.  
The light had turned green a few hours ago, but Lance had not touched it yet. A sharp knock on the side conformed his assumptions.  
The food good dispenser was once again full. It seemed like the castle produced that on its own.

Lance glanced around the spotless kitchen, everything as they had found it the day they had first come aboard the castle. This was Hunk's space. He spent most of his time here, baking, cooking, and doing what he loved.

He continued moving throughout the castle, finding himself in the control room. This he considered Allura's room. She stayed in here, directing, controlling and keeping them alive.  
This had been where he had spent most of his time with the team, arguing and having scientific breakthroughs, and just about everything else.  
Now, he really hated being in that room.

He continued on to the training room next. This, he had always kinda considered Keith's space. He never spent much time in there before, and hadn't been in there since he had fixed it. Maybe things would change when the team woke up.

The green lions hangar was next on the list, Pidge's space. He had found wires and fragments of destroyed creations when he had fixed up in here. He had tried, by simply couldn't repair them to their previous state. Instead, he packed them all neatly into a box and put in the corner for Pidge.

He wandered through the castle, his mind drifting onto Coran. He used to have the mindset that anything he didn't know how to do or didnt understand, he could just ask Coran. Over the last couple years however, he really came to appreciate how much the old advisor did for them.  
Coran was the most versatile member on the team, slotting in wherever he was needed, and always willing to pilot one of the lions. A slight grin appeared on Lance's face briefly at the thought.

Heaving a sigh, he strolled into the Viewing deck. This had been his favourite place in the castle and he suspected it still was. The sounds of the engine was muffled, the lights were nonexistent, save for the stars. It had the setting his body had adapted to over the past years.

Lance shook his head, with a backwards glance at the now familiar constellations, and he exited the room. 

Where did Shiro like to stay?  
Everyone had a space, so where was Shiro's?

Lance paused, wracking his brain for a minute, but still drawing a blank.  
He honestly could not remember for the life of him. 

The thought distressed him slightly, but he knew that it had been almost 3 years, he was allowed to forget a few details. He had had enough to think about without trying to remember every retail he knew on the members of Voltron as well.

•-•


	6. First One

The pod to his left beeped, and the glass face lifted with a woosh of air.

Lance raced over, catching Pidge just before she hit the ground. The girl groaned softly, shaking her head slightly as she woke up properly.

The lights throughout the castle were dimmed for Lance, something he knew Pidge appreciated right about now.

Pidge groaned again, leaning against Lances' hunched figure to straighten herself. She rubbed her eyes blearily and looked around her, eyes landing on Lance.

'Who are you?' Was the first words out her mouth.

Lance froze. Pidge seemed so much smaller than how he remembered. Her voice was so different to how he remembered it. Her hair was a completely different colour to what he had been led to believe through the frosted cryo glass, her skin more tan.

But this was Pidge.   
Right here, right now.  
Alive, and breathing, and well.   
Something he thought he would never see again for a good while.

'Pidge,' he breathed, his voice sounding unsure and fazed to his own ears.

The girl furrowed her brow, eyes squinting at Lance in the darkness. 

Seems like he changed more than he had thought.

'It's me. Lance.'

•-•


	7. Different, but Familiar

Pidge faintly remembered explosions and screaming, before a loud, white light took her.   
She opened her eyes groggily to find herself in a familiar room.   
It took her brain a minute to register it was the medbay.

She scanned her surroundings swiftly, noticing the other pods, before her eyes landed on the figure that had caught her as she fell out of the cryopod.   
She frowned.  
This person, while they seemed incredibly familiar, was still very unfamiliar at the same time.

'Who are you?'

Her voice sounded croaky and underused, but that was to be expected right out of cryo.

She watched as the man's face changed slightly, like he was thinking over something. Hopefully not to kill her fresh out of cryo. That would be a great inconvenience. 

She felt like she should be more uncomfortable with the stranger, but her body was completely at ease being this near to him.

She took the opportunity to study his face.  
Perhaps his most defining feature was the milky blue eye, accompanied by a long scar. He was scruffy and rather intimidating looking, and looked as if he hadn't smiled in ages.

Her eyes traveled and she noticed his rather large frame, similar to that of Shiro's in terms of muscle, if not larger. He looked about the same age as Shiro as well. He was tall, like really tall, making her feel tiny in comparison, something she didn't particularly appreciate. 

'Pidge,' the man breathed.

His voice, while deep and gruff, and gravelly, seemed shocked, like he couldn't believe that she was there.

She furrowed her brow. The way he said her name was awfully familiar. The slight lilt at the start of her name.  
She glanced at his torso again, suddenly noticing the clothes he had on.   
A scruffy white tee with blue sleeves, and blue jeans.

Lance.

'It's me. Lance '

•-•


	8. Lance

Honestly, Pidge would have felt better is he had said Mario.

Anything but her space brother, looking aged and mature way past what she thought his physical years, to the point where she couldn't even recognize him.

What had happened to the smiling Lance that she knew?   
Where was his 'not really a baby face, but not really an adult one either' face?  
What had happened to his eye?  
What had happened to his voice?  
Since when was he so muscular?  
Why was he so tall?  
Could she grow like that?

Okay, maybe that last one wasn't really on topic but still.

What had happened to Lance? 

•-••

Lance watched as recognition dawned on her face, her eyes widening in shock, then confusion.   
All of which were justified emotions.  
It was simply that Lance was not mentally prepared for all the questions she undoubtedly had.

'Before anything, let's get you fed,' he said, straightening up.

He didn't miss the way Pidge's eyebrows shot up as he stood to his full height. Clearly, he had grown a bit.

He allowed a slight smirk before steadying Pidge on her feet.  
He wondered what spending years in the pods were like.   
He had only spent a few months if he calculated things properly, and clearly there was a toll as Pidge could barely stand on her own.

Watching the green paladin struggle on her own for a moment, he offered his hand.

Pidge eyed it warily. 

She felt like she barely knew him, even though it was Lance.

'I can carry you if you prefer,' he offered.

Her cheeks flamed at his offer, but she considered it.   
She felt so unbelievably drained that she was having trouble staying on her feet. Her legs felt like jelly, unable to support her weight.

She sighed, but shook her head no.  
She could do it herself. She did accept his hand as a crutch though.  
She wasn't insane.

•-•


	9. Interrogation

Lance had managed to get Pidge to eat, shower and get dressed, all before she finally settled in the lounge, a determined look on her face. A very difficult task if you knew Pidge at all. 

She wanted answers, but this particular story was an incredibly long one. One that was really personal and difficult to talk about. He would really prefer to tell the team as a collective, to save himself a little, instead of each individual member, but Pidge was adamant.

She wanted an explanation and she wanted it now.

She made him sit down opposite her, a difficult task considering how much smaller she was, and stared at him expectantly.

When Lance made no move to say anything first, she encouraged him with some gentle prodding.

'Why are you so tall?' She deadpanned, starting with the most important details first.

Lance looked startled for a second, before a slight smirk appeared on his lips.

For some reason Pidge felt disappointed as she saw it, she wanted at least a proper smile.   
She suddenly realized that Lance hadn't made a single joke or even smiled a little since she woke up. In fact, he had spoke about 20 words to her in total, and it had all been about her freshening up and eating. 

She wanted to see Lance laugh a proper, loud laugh like how he used to.   
To crack a stale joke that everyone would pretend wasn't funny.  
To spurt out a consistent stream of words that consisted of nothing. Just noise to fill the space.

She wanted Lance to show her that everything hadn't changed.  
That he was okay. The same Lance she knew and loved.

•-•


	10. What Happened

Lance thought for a moment. That hadn't been the question he had been preparing for, but was so Pidge-like that he had no idea how he'd expected differently.

'I guess I just grew. I really can't say how.'

Pidge narrowed her eyes at him, looking like she didn't believe him in the slightest.

Lance just shrugged, holding up his hands to show that it had simply been that, without outside influence.

Pursing her lips in distrusting acceptance, she thought about her next question carefully.  
Lance was here and willing to answer, if her first question was any sort of gauge. But who knows how long things would stay like that. 

'What happened?'

She didn't specify to what. She was willing for any answer. About Lance himself, or the castle.  
She had noticed a few sketchy looking dents around that she was sure hadn't been there before. Also, her room was not how she had left it.  
Close, but not quite right.

Lance inhaled deeply, telling her that a story of some sort was coming.

'Well. How much do you remember?' He asked.

Pidge furrowed her brow.  
What was she supposed to remember?

'I dont know. We were in the Alrai star system. Were were passing though this uninhabited zone, with no sun. That's a bit suspicious if you think about it. How could it have no sun?' She mused, getting sidetracked.

Lance cocked a brow, the corner of his mouth twitching up for a second, before he was back to his stoic state.

'Also, as I woke up, I remembered screaming, or ringing. I'm not really sure. It was just a really loud noise,' she said, nodding in finality.

'Well, there's a few more details than that,' he started.

Pidge tucked her feet in under her, settling in and signaling for Lance to continue.

'Well. We were in a battle. A bad one. Like really bad,' he said.

Pidge's brow furrowed like she was trying to remember, but clearly couldn't.

Lance took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself before launching into a very summarized, and underplayed recounting of the past events.

•-•


	11. Story Time

'Well, it was a disaster. We were flying through, like you remember, but we got attacked. I dont even know if they were Galra, 'cuz they were hiding out, waiting for us, and they shot us with something. It was different from the usual ion cannons and blasters. It was like a pulse that knocked out one of the engines instantly, while simultaneously ripping a hole into the side of the castle as well, in the yellow lions hangar. Then they didnt even try to take the lions. Anyways, we crashed into the planet, Yovis I think it was, and that kinda caused the huge problem of the hangar getting filled with dirt, completely burying the yellow lion. So yellow was out of comission, and I'm not sure why, but you decided to just run straight out of the castle. No lion or anything. Then, naturally, Hunk and I followed. And I'm pretty sure everyone just abandoned their lions in the hangars.'

Lance paused.

'Actually, they were offline when I found them. I think that pulse knocked out the Lions as well. So yeah. I didn't know that then, I don't know if you or the others did, but I just ran out like a maniac. So long story short, it was a disaster. They hit the castle a couple more times, causing holes and stuff. You know, frying the circuits, causing the crystal to explode and melt through 3 floors, and then freeze everything else within a 4 floor radius, shutting off the lions. You know, just general issues. So yeah. I don't know if we can call that a win, 'cuz I had to drag all of you guys into the castle. And then the crystal really just kinda gave up. And I kinda got stuck on the control room a for a bit, so most of my injuries didn't heal properly and now I look like this. And what else?' He said, tapping his knee.

'Oh. So green got covered in vines that let out spores that tried to kill me, and that sealed off the doors so I couldn't get out. Red was in a pool of lava basaically and blue was frozen in ice,' he finished.

•-•


	12. The Black Lion

Pidge sat silent, eyes blown wide open in shock and disbelief.

She opened her mouth, hesitated, and snapped it back shut.

She furrowed her brows and raised her arm, hesitated, then dropped it.

'What about the black lion?' She finally asked, voice small and unsure.

Lance frowned, he hadn't been to see the black lion. Hadn't checked to see if the doors could open now.   
Hadn't cared.

But now he was wondering if he had been a little hasty to be angry at her.

'I don't know,' he admitted.

She furrowed her brow again.

'I couldn't open the doors at all, and i haven't been to check her yet,'he explained.

'Wait. How did the castle get fixed? The crystal...?' She trailed off

Lance offered a smirk.

'I fixed it up. I had some help, and we put in a new crystal, pods powered up and you jumped out,' he concluded hastily.

Pidge remained silent, clearly confused by the plotholes in his story.

She didn't know what question to ask, but knew that there were many that she still had to ask.

She looked at him, the much older and sterner version of Lance that sat before her.

'What happened to your eyes?' She asked softly.

•-•


	13. Your Eyes/ How Long

Though she would never admit it out loud, Lance's eyes had been beautiful. A mesmerizing swirl of blue that, more likely than not, had a mischievous glint in them.

Now one was frosted over, unseeing, and the other was a dark, intimidating blue. Any sign of playfulness or teasing long gone. It didn't even look like Lance.

'I got cut, and I ended up staying too long out of the cryopod, so it healed badly,' he repeated.

'And how long ago did that happen?' She asked, a sudden realization dawning over her.

He was awfully comfortable with only one eye, and she that that sort of thing look months to get accustomed to.   
Years even.

Also, he had said the castle had been seriously messed up in battle, yet the castle looked just as she remembered, give or take a few things. 

Her eyes refocused onto the person before her.

•-••

Lance grit his teeth, clearly not liking the question.

'Doesn't matter now. All we have to think about is getting Allura awake, then finding a new crystal,' he said stiffly.

'No Lance. It clearly does matter. How long has it been? And why would we need a new crystal?' She asked, slightly hurt that Lance wouldn't tell her.

'The crystal we have now isn't big enough to sustain the castle properly, so I'd like to get a replacement before everything goes wrong again.'

'That isn't the only question I asked,' she said, voice clipped.

Lance sighed and dropped his head into his hands, elbows resting on his knees.  
Dealing with other people was a lot more tiring than he remembered.

'Please Lance. Just tell me. It's all over now anyways,' she pleaded.

Lance sighed again, turning his head to face her.

'3 years Pidge. That's how long its been. 3 f*cking years.'

Lance stood abruptly and strode out of the room, rubbing his hand over his face with a groan.

He needed some space. 

It had only been a few hours and dealing with Pidge was already too much. It'll be a full on nightmare when the rest of the team woke up, especially with Keith who wouldn't be nearly as patient as Pidge.

•-•


	14. Space

He walked quickly, not going in any particular direction, but found himself on the viewing deck. The dark and the silence was appreciated, and the faint glow of distant stars welcomed.

He hadn't expected his reunion with Voltron to be like this. It honestly wasn't something he had put a lot of thought into, not allowing himself to think that it would actually happen. But he had been under the impression that if she were to wake up, Pidge would have at least a little recollection of what had occurred.

He sighed, leaning against a wall, allowing his body to slump and slide down till he was sitting on the floor.

He knew that he shouldn't leave Pidge on her own, so he enjoyed a couple minutes of nothing before standing up and making his way back to the green Paladin.

He found her exactly as he had left her. Still in shock, the girl hadn't moved, having trouble processing what she had just been told.

He sat back down, shoulders slumped, head bowed, elbows on his knees.

He said nothing, giving her time to process, keeping the silence.

'Is that how you're so buff now? From fixing up the castle and stuff?' She asked softly.

Lances head snapped to her. He considered her statement before nodding in confirmation.

'Oh,' she said softly, head bobbing slightly. 'So who's next out? Of the pods?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, if this goes over 20 chapters I'll be very diappointed...


	15. Hunk

Hunk.   
Praise whatever God it had that it was Hunk as the next one out.

Hunk had recognized Lance almost immediately, and had been a lot more understanding of his story, asking fewer questions.   
He had been rightfully shocked to see the sheer size that Lance had put on, not believing that his friend was the same height as him now, if not taller, and definitely a lot more muscular.   
The part he had had the most difficulty coming to terms with was that Lance was blind in one eye. He knew one thing Lance had always been proud of his perfect vision, as almost all his siblings needed glasses or some sort of corrective lens.  
But, he had naturally pretended to be less bothered by it when he realized that Lance had accepted the fact, and moved on.

Pidge, of course, had prompted Hunk to ask a few questions when he didn't, but there were ones that he didn't ask anyways, so she had just told him the answers to them.

The three years thing had been a lot easier to explain to the yellow paladin, whi had taken it a lot better.

Pidge had gone into hiding after they had spoken, finally reappearing a day later when Hunk was supposed to come out.

Hunk had only sat in shock for about an hour before he moved into the kitchen to bake all his worries away. 

Of course, it didn't help that all his supplies and ingredients were gone, and that Lance wasn't allowing him to leave the castle to explore the planet outside for more.

But before any real arguments could break out Pidge had run in announcing that Shiro was gonna come out soon, and Keith as well.

•-•


	16. Shiro

They all stood crowded around Shiro's cryopod, Lance stationed at the back, slightly uncomfortable with being in such close contact after isolation for so long.

The older man breathed behind the glass, looking older than Lance remembered. Battle was clearly taking its toll on Shiro, and it only served as a reminder to how old and haggard he looked himself.   
He wondered if he looked older than Shiro now.

 

They watched the seconds tick down to 0, a slight beep announcing that Shiro was healed.

The pod opened and the sound of air escaping warned them as Shiro pitched forwards.

Hunk and Pidge grabbed him, but he continued to slump downwards due to his weight.

Lance watched silently from the side as the struggled to move the groggy and disoriented Shiro to the chair.

Stepping up, he tapped Pidge's shoulder, grabbing Shiro's arm and replacing the shorter paladin, providing the needed height and strength.

He and Hunk towed him towards the table where he was laid down, seeming to fall asleep again.

They all came to the unanimous decision to let him have a few minutes. It had been literal years in there. It was exhausting.

•-•


	17. Keith

Lance turned to the pods, having all the times memorized well enough to know that Keith would be out in a few minutes.

Hunk saw his movement and swiveled to face the pods, glancing through to see who was the next out.

'How come Allura and Coran are the last ones out? I know they were fighting, but I imagine that being outside would have been more dangerous than inside,' Hunk questioned, confusion on his voice.

'They got trapped in freezing water and ice, something that Altaens don't seem to deal very well with,' he responded, gaze flashing over to their pods. 

He had found them nearly dead. There had to have been something else in that water. Lance had seen Coran function fine in both ice and water.   
Had they been electrocuted?

The sight of the Alteans in the pods reminded him of when they had first arrived at the castle, in a much simpler time.

The hiss of air carried him towards the opening pod, just in time grab Keith before he met the floor face-first.

'Whaa..' the red padadin groaned.

Lance remembered that Keith had always been sort of iffy when it came to physical contact and general affection.   
Now it was something they both seemed to have in common.

Lance carried him to sit on the chair that was positioned next the the bed Shiro occupied, where he dropped down heavily, blinking and rubbing his eyes. 

After a few moments, he dropped his arms and squinted up at Lance.

'Who are you? And why is it so dark?' He demanded.

Pidge hastily stepped up, and Lance moved back again.  
'Keith. It's us. And it's dark because we thought the light might bother you as you came out of the pod,'she said softly, gently rubbing his shoulder.

He furrowed his brow, shifting his head slightly, showing confusion.

He glanced back up again, eyes finding Lance.

'What's going on?' He asked, voice just as gruff. 'And who are you?'

Keith's voice was a whole lot deeper than Lance has remembered. A lot more angry.   
Technically, he was now 2 years older than him. The thought of being older than Keith, and stronger, made a childlike playfulness peek out.  
But he snuffed it quickly. They didn't have time for immaturity. Right now, Keith wanted an answer, and Lance had to give him one.

'You don't remember the battle?' Lance started.

'Obviously I remember the battle. Why wouldn't I?' He said, voice tight with annoyance.

Lance cocked an eyebrow. He was the first to remember.

'Well. After that, all of you guys got put into pods and now you're waking up,' he said.

Keoth glared at him.  
'Obviously I know that,' he growled out.

'Well then, you know everything else,' Lance said, feeling his annoyance rise.

Annoyance at another person was something he hadn't felt in a long time, so he welcomed it now.   
It made him feel more human. More alive.

But then, there was something about Keith that always spiked the competitiveness in him. It was barely a whisper of what it had been, but still there all the same.

'Lance. He's confused. Let him be angry. Please,' Hunk asked softly, resting a hand on his arm.

Lance heaved a sigh, and turned back to the red Paladin, who was now staring at him with wide eyes.

Lance furrowed his brow, unsure of how to react to his expression.

'L-Lance?' He asked hesitantly.

Oh yeah. That.

He offered a small, barely there smile, and a slight wave.

'The castle crashed, and the crystal exploded. Look. Shiro's about to wake up soon, I'll tell both of you the story at the same time. Ok?' He said, not really asking.

Keith blinked, before swiveling in the direction he had gestured to Shiro.

'He's just asleep. Don't worry,' Hunk pacified quickly, as he saw the other boy's mouth open.

Keith snapped his jaw shut, his teeth making an audible sound as they met. 

Lance sighed, taking a step back. He hated to admit it, but he sort of preferred to be on his own now.

•-•


	18. The Team

The castle was on its way to the nearest Balmera, their speed alot slower than preferred, making them an easy target. The team sat gathered around the table in the grand hall, Lance absent.

He kept to himself a lot more, leaving Pidge and Hunk to explain the little that they knew to the others as they woke up. They had tried their best, but there was still so many things that they needed Lance to explain, and a great many things that they were completely guessing about.

But, no one wanted to broach the subject to Lance. They had all noticed the difference in their Blue Paladin. The time that had passed felt like nothing to them, but the signs showed clearly on Lance that it had indeed passed.

He was a lot more reserved and serious now, hardly speaking unless he was directly spoken to. 

They all knew that it was because for 3 years, he hadn't spoken to another being, save the aliens that had only visited twice. Not even the lions were there for company. It had only been Lance and his thoughts. It was a miracle how he hadn't gone mad.  
Without the usual chatter of their blue paladin, the castle seemed bigger and noisier to them all, especially when Pidge brought then to realize that Lance didn't laugh or smile any more.

He hardly ate, something that worried Hunk to no end.  
But he knew that it was because Lance had needed to ration his food, cutting down on how often and how much he ate, and couldn't stomach nearly as much food as before anymore.

He had gone out onto the planets surface a few times, without his respirator. Even though he himself had told them not to go, as well as Coran, he still went out and would stay for hours. 

At first they had all been concerned that he would sufer from Carbon poisoning, but he had come back unharmed and unconcerned. That was when they had come to the realization that Lance's body had adapted to the outside environment. Hunk had speculated that he had gone out there to hunt for food as he would have eventually run out. And this theory was furthur supported as new ingredients appeared in the kitchen when he went out, and Lance didn't show for dinner.  
Some of the things he had brought back, Hunk found a little sketchy looking. But after a few tests, were all deemed safe enough to eat, and eventually realized that Lance had already known that, through the most basic of tests, trial and error.  
He absolutely refused to think about how sick Lance would have been during the times when he had eaten something he shouldn't have.

His normal movements around the castle were absolutely silent, and he, on a whole, functioned with almost no noise.

Coran had suspected that it might have been because of the silence that he had been in for so long, he had adapted to blend in with it. And it would now take a while for him to return to normal.

He seemed to prefer darkness, always dimming the lights when he was alone, and keeping his room in almost complete darkness.

Pidge explained to them that since the planet had no sun, and barely any stars in the sky, it was constantly night time. Lance would always work in the dark, since he had no source of light that was powered without the castle. The only independent lamps they had were in the lions. So he had grown used to it.

Then there was the barely sleeping, and having fitful dreams.

Allura had checked on him once in the night, simply to see if he was still awake for a midnight snack, and had found him tossing and turning, calling out and screaming. Unsure of what to do and panicked, she had run for Coran. But when they returned, he was gone. She had sat outside his door and waited for almost the whole night, but he had not returned.

He also seemed to have this hate for the control room, always remaining as far away as he could. And when he had to get closer, in the corridor, but always on the left side, away from the doorway.

She had felt like Lance should be the one to explain it to them, but Pidge told them about Lance getting caught in the ice, and collapsing outside the door. The room was a negative place in his mind, and they knew that it would take a lot to convince him otherwise.

Then there was the other things.

•-•


	19. Lance

Hunk suspected that Lance was suffering from critical illness polyneuropathy, after witnessing Lance slice open his hands while wedging open a door that had malfunctioned, and then had simply washed off the blood and carried about his day.

Pidge of course, couldn't look him in the eyes anymore, and neither could Keith. He felt personally responsible for that particular thing. As he could remember, as clear as day, Lance struggling with someone, and actively making the choice to leave him. Then looking back just in time to see a blade arc, and Lance's head fly back with a spray of blood before his body collapsed onto the rocks.

Shiro heard from the black lion how Lance was being cold to her, but she could tell he didn't mean it. As the leader she could tap into all the other lions emotions, and she saw what the blue lion was told.   
She saw Lance beating his knuckles bloody on her hangar door while, to his knowledge, she sat inside silent.  
She couldn't, and wouldn't, hold that against him.

Then there was the fact that he didn't even look like Lance any more.  
He was more scruffy, and clearly did not care about a beauty routine anymore. Allura had tried on many occasions to get him to braid her hair like how he used to, but he would always, politely, decline.

On more occasions than she was willing to admit, Pidge has mistook Lance for Shiro, based on their similar physiques and silhouettes. She had run smack into Shiro, thinking he was Lance, going for a hug. It had been a little awkward, but he'd eventually hugged her back. 

However, when she repeated the practice with Lance, he had stiffened up and didn't respond, eventually just patting her awkwardly on the back.

They had eventually found out about the sword, Keith seeing him with it in the training room and going back to tell the others. He had considered bringing it up with Lance, but he decided against it. He hardly knew how to communicate with normal Lance, much less this Lance.

Then there were the scars. Hunk had been the one to see them, walking in on Lance shirtless in the training room. He had stood rooted to his spot, eyes following the warped band of flesh that wrapped around his arm. Then, as Lance turned, the multitude of scratches and slices that littered his back. He had run back to the others, intending to tell them right aways, but ended up sitting down for at least half an hour, getting over his initial shock before he could actually say anything.

That was the final straw.   
Pounding her fist on the table, Allura had decided it. They needed to talk to Lance. Whether or not he needed or wanted their support, they were going to give it to him.


	20. Family Meal

☆-☆  
(Thats me in star shaped sunglasses cuz im a disappointment)

'Lance!' Pidge called, interrupting the vigorous training the paladin had been doing.

Since he had nothing better to do with his time, he had subjected himself to the training room, familiarizing himself with his sword and honing his shooting skills. 

He spun around, startled by the sound of her voice, not hearing the opening of the doors because of the blood rushing in his ears.

Quickly deactivating the robot, he turned to face her, remaining silent, waiting for her to speak.

Pidge bit her lip, not really sure how to proceed.

'Hunk made this new dish. I'm not sure what it is, but he said that it tastes like something your mom used to make,' she said, studying his face carefully.

Nothing in his expression changed.

'Well, he wanted to make sure that you were coming to dinner to try it,' she added.

Lance cocked his head, seeming to think it over, before finally shaking his head.

'It's alright. I can't really taste much anymore, and I don't really remember my family and Earth that much anyways so, I'll pass,' he declined, bowing his head slightly.

He turned back to face the room, reactivating the simulator, leaving Pidge standing frozen, mouth agape.

After a moment of processing, she spun on her heel, racing towards the kitchen where she knew Hunk was. For some reason, as she ran she found tears forming in her eyes and streaming down her face, before she could stop them.  
By the time she made it to the kitchen she was a sobbing mess, snot leaking out of her nose, eyes red and puffy, her face wet and sticky.

 

In the kitchen, Hunk was cooking, trying to teach Keith how to be an assistant and substitute to Lance. The poor boy look terrified, was vigorously stirring a pot of a suspiciously viscous purple liquid, getting rapped on the knuckles everytime Hunk thought his speed changed.

Allura and Shiro were both there, simply to maintain the peace, keep them company, and laugh at Keith.  
Coran was elsewhere, checking the castle, always having a positive report and praise for Lance's work at dinner.

 

As she ran in, Keith noticed her first, abruptly dropping his spoon and moving towards her. Hunk went to hit him again, but saw what had drawn his attention, and also abandoned his post. Allura and Shiro ran over, the concern overwhelming from both of them.

They tried to get her to tell them what had happened, but she could barely form words through her tears.

She only managed a few gabled words, one of them being 'Lance'.

At hearing that, Keith stood up stiffly and took a step back.

'That's it. I'll kill him,' he announced darkly, his eyes ablaze.

'No!' Pidge shrieked, small hand suddenly reaching out and grabbing hold of the apron he had on.

Keith froze, unsure what to do. Part of him wanted to kill the blue paladin for hurting Pidge, but the other part know that he couldn't, and didn't want to, leave her right now.

Stepping forward again, he crouched down and looked at her at eye level.

'Did he hurt you Pidge? Cuz then I'll murder his sorry *ss,' he said, holding her firmly by the arms.

This brought on a fresh set of tears, furthur worrying the team. But she didn't let go of his clothes, preventing him from moving.

'No,' she croaked out softly. 'He didn't hurt me.'

'Then what?' Hunk asked, concern dripping from his voice.

He didn't believe that Lance would ever hurt Pidge. He thought of her as his little sister, and loved her just as much as his actual siblings, similar to they way she felt about him.

With a shaky breath, she recounted what Lance had told her, being reduced to a puddle of tears at the end once again.  
The team huddled around her, everyone silent, all shocked at what they had just been told. 

Suddenly, Hunk stood up, eyes dark, expression similar to how Keith's had been.

'I'm going to kill him,' he declared, striding out of the room before they could stop him.


	21. You deserved it

●-●  
(Wow. Im a disappointment who clearly cant count)

The doors to the training room opened, causing Lance's attention to be drawn towards it, revealing a fuming Hunk.

A feeling at the back of his mind stirred at seeing his friend angry. It was so familiar yet he couldn't quite remember it.

'What do you mean you don't really remember your family?' Hunk shouted, marching up to him.

Lance furrowed his brow.  
'Exactly that. I don't remember them. I mean, sure, I remember a feeling, but I can't recall a single thing about any of them.'

Hunk clenched his fist, ignoring that the other members of Voltron had gathered by the door, all unsure as to how and if to intervene.  
No one knew how to deal with an angry Hunk.

'There's no way that you don't f*cking remember any of them!' Hunk shouted angrily.

Lance only shrugged, having nothing to respond with.

Hunk's eyes opened wide.   
The way Lance seemed uninterested in even trying to remember them flipped a switch within him.  
Before he even realized what he was doing, he found himself taking a step forward, swinging his fist, and connecting it solidly with Lance's jaw.

He saw Lance's head swung around, a loud crack resounding around the room. 

No one moved, not even daring to breathe. 

It got so silent in the room that the castle registered it as having no one in it, and automatically dimmed down the lights.

Hunk took a step back, shocked at his own actions, causing the room to once again be illuminated.

His gaze was fixed on the spot that Lance had been, the lights revealing the blue paladin standing hand holding his jaw, a look of pure shock on his face. 

Hunk took another step backwards.  
What had he just done.   
Lance looked as if he could actually kill him if he so chose.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he sent up a quick prayer to any God that was listening. If this was going to be his last moment, at least let it be painless.   
He'd done enough to to be at least allowed that.

 

Cracking open his eyes again, his gaze landed on Lance, who now stood rubbing his jaw, smiling ruefully.

'I guess I deserved that, huh?'he asked, cracking a smile.

Hunk felt the anger and fear that had built up within him dissipate at the sight of it, a great weight suddenly being lifted off his shoulders.  
He wasn't going to die right now. Thank god.

Hunk let out a slight chuckle, accompanied by a voice crack.

'You kinda did,' he said.

Lance let out a short laugh. 

At the sound of it, you could hear the tension in the room evaporate, a collective breath being relased.

Lance wiped his brow, deactivating his bayard and dropping it to the ground, effectively ending his training session.  
He took a step towards Hunk, peeling off the armour on his forearms.

'So. What was it you made?' He asked casually.

Hunk let out a laugh and swung his arm around Lance's shoulders, slightly pulling him down due to the height discrepancy.  
'You, my friend, are gonna love it,' he said, leading him out the doors, past their gape mouthed teammates.

Lance laughed again.  
'Okay Hunk. I trust you,' he said lightheartedly.


	22. Dinner

■-■  
(Me, spending too much time drawing this story out)

Team Voltron sat around the table, a meal before them, for the first time in 3 years.

Lance gazed around at his friends, really looking at them. He knew these people. He had seen them at the best and at their worst. These were his friends.

His eyes drifted over to Pidge and Coran, who was talking animatedly about something, with Pidge staring, drinking up every word. Gauging by the movement of his hands, it was the time he had wrestled with a Yalmor.

Keith sat next to her, talking quietly with Shiro, but saying something dumb enough for Shiro to explain loudly and reach over to slap him upside the head. The way they laughed loudly about it afterwards, but for Shiro to still have a sad look on his face, they had to be talking about their life before space, back when Shiro was just a pilot living with his fiance Adam, and little brother Keith.

Hunk sat opposite him, slowly tasting the dish before him, pausing evey so often to make mental notes on his choice of ingredients. He would note what he liked and didn't like, keeping an eye out to see everyone else's preference and opinions on the dish, and would alter the recipe accordingly the next time he made it. It was something Lance had seen him do hundreds of times before, and it never ceases to amaze him.

His gaze finally focused on Allura. She sat at the head of the table, a slight smile on her face, silently observing everyone else as well. She looked calm and relaxed, like things were finally going how they were supposed to.  
And in a way, it was.

It had taken his a good sucker punch to the face for him to really see sense. The feeling he had experienced, it was longing. He had missed them all, and had been in denial of the fact, brushing it off as annoyance.   
When Hunk himself had hunted him down, he had been reminded so much of a time on Earth, the only other time he had seen Hunk fuming.


	23. Flashback

□-□  
(Damn. Talk out drawing out)

It had been a day when Iverson had been particularly rough and mean to Lance, insulting him at every chance he'd got, which had been a lot, the amount steadily increasing with each insult. When they had gotten back to their room, Hunk had thrown a fit, just about ready to take on Iverson all by himself. He didn't care if he got kicked out as a result.  
It had taken some work, but Lance had managed to convince him that it wasn't worth it, reassuring him that it didn't bother him. They had fought for a bit, the squabble ending badly for Lance. But it had served its purpose.   
Hunk was calmer now, closer to his usual level headed self.

Lance had tried to convince Hunk that it didn't bother him, but he knew that it did, and he'd felt rage that day like never before. In a red haze, he had punched Lance in the face, dislocating his jaw completely. That had been a dose of reality for both of them, abruptly ending their argument. Hunk had carried Lance to the infirmary and the topic was never broached again. Whenever he saw Iverson picking on his friend he had remained quiet, offering support in any other way that he could.

But Lance was glad. Glad that he'd been punched and glad that Hunk hadn't done anything. In his own way, Hunk had shown how much he cared for Lance, and the extent to which he was willing to go to protect him. And Lance couldn't have been more appreciative.


	24. Space Family

○-○  
(Finally, i put you out of your misery)

That was what he had been reminded of. How much they cared. He wasn't on his own, and he never would be.

Lance sat back, realizing how much he had missed this. This was his family. He had spent so much time with them; gone through so much.

Sure, he had changed and grown as a person, but they would change and evolve as a team. They would stick by him, the same way any family did.

With a smile on his face, he took a bite of his food, tastebuds lighting up. Sure, his sense of taste was slightly dulled from the injury he'd sustained, but it had been so long since he had eaten something that was properly and carefully cooked with any sort of effort, that he couldn't help but savour the taste. 

The smile on his face only grew as he saw Hunk look towards him.

'This is really good Hunk,' he said, holding up a thumbs up before stuffing another spoonful into his mouth.

Hunk laughed at his friend, happy just to see him talking and smiling again, not to mention eating again.

With a contented sigh Lance looked around again, knowing that he had the support of his family and friends, and knowing that things would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally. I feel like this one got really dragged out, but, that's just how it is. Thanks a tonne for all the support I got while writing this. You guys were amazing.
> 
> Special thanks to:  
> ▪Lazy_Demon_Sloth_Sin  
> ▪Ioana  
> ▪Victoria
> 
> Some of you might find the ending really anticlimactic, so if you have any other ideas for an ending, feel free to share and I'll edit the end as needed.
> 
> This story, whether or not you combine it with the first part, is the longest fic I've ever written. How that even happened, I don't know.
> 
> So yeah, that it. I hope you enjoyed the story.  
> To anyone celebrating carnival, have a safe an enjoyable one.  
> To everyone else, stay safe and don't do drugs.  
> Bye-bye.👋


End file.
